Franklin, Mass. – With 4:33 left to play and Franklin leading by a goal, the Panthers were handed a man advantage. It seemed as though Franklin had the game locked up. It may have seemed that way, but Mansfield was not going to go quietly.
The Hornets had been limited to just a few shots on goal in the third period prior to going shorthanded. In the final four minutes, Mansfield created five solid scoring chances. Senior captain and leading scorer Brendan Murphy, who had already scored once, had two point-blank chances in the final seconds but could not put either on target.
“I just can’t believe we didn’t score,” exclaimed Hornets head coach Rick Anastos. “It started when we got the penalty with four minutes remaining. We totally dominated from that moment on.”
Mansfield’s inability to find the game-tying goal cost them more than just a 2-1 loss to a rival – it also cost them the lead in the Kelley-Rex division. Mansfield (7-3-3) is now 6-2 in the Hockomock League, while Franklin (9-3-2) moves to 6-1.
Panthers head coach Chris Spillane spoke to his team about the need to grind out results, but praised the Hornets for pushing them right to the end and called his team lucky to get the win that qualifies Franklin for the tournament.
“We kept turning the puck over and it just happened that every time we turned the puck over it landed on No. 2’s (Murphy’s) stick, the best player on the team,” said Spillane. “The last five minutes they were by far the better team and they probably deserved a piece of it.”
Both teams created chances in the opening period. Murphy had a chance midway through the first, but his shot was stuffed by Franklin goalie Devon Maloof. Franklin answered with a chance of its own but Pat Slason’s shot bounced up and landed on top of the net. It looked like the teams would head into the locker rooms scoreless, until Murphy struck.
With just 10.7 seconds on the clock, the Hornets forward was in the right place at the right time to finish off a scramble in the crease. Linemates Adam Blackman and Kevin Flynn assisted on the goal, which was helped on to Murphy’s stick by Maloof’s pad.
After falling behind, Franklin began asserting itself and limiting the Hornets’ chances for long stretches of the game. Three minutes into the second period, the Panthers tied it at 1-1 with a bit of luck. Ryan Lessard’s shot from the point deflected through Shipman’s five-hole off the skate of Hornets defenseman Will Kelleher.
“We need to get shots on a goalie like that,” explained Spillane about his team’s willingness to get shots on the net (Franklin outshot Mansfield 24-22). “The defenseman, as he took the shot, had a man blocking him so he was right to go off net and if it gets blocked it would be a great play. Sometimes you get the breaks.”
Anastos was disappointed with his team’s inability to create chances, despite controlling the puck and spending plenty of time in the attacking zone.
“Our guys don’t shoot enough and for the life of me I can’t figure it out. Did you see the rebounds that were given up the whole game…incredible. We need more shots,” he said.
Franklin got the eventual game-winner 5:22 into the third period. Mansfield turned the puck over in its own zone and senior forward Aiden Isberg took advantage. Isberg split two defenders and was able to drag the puck onto the backhand and slip it past Shipman.
Spillane said, “It was a broken play and he picked it up and drove hard at the net and, you know, their goaltender is outstanding so anytime that you can get the puck by him it’s great.”
Although his team was on the losing end, Anastos was impressed by the overall level of play and the playoff intensity that both teams brought to the game.
“You know what, it was a great game and that’s the intensity and the game that you want to see at this point in the season,” he said. “I was impressed with the way we played. If we played like that the other night against North Attleboro we would have killed them.”
Franklin has taken the lead in the league, but these two teams, which met in the D2 South finals a year ago, look prepared for another meeting once the playoffs roll around.